


In Her Eyes

by Sardonicc



Series: Everything's Alright [1]
Category: Horrortale - Fandom, Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Horrortale, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Blind Reader, F/M, Minor Sans (Undertale)/Reader, Reader Is Not Chara, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-23
Updated: 2018-04-12
Packaged: 2019-02-18 03:23:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 19,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13091397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sardonicc/pseuds/Sardonicc
Summary: Papyrus has been spending a lot of time away from the house and going deep into the snowdin forests. At first Sans didn't think anything of it until he didn't come home one night.





	1. But She Is Real!

**Author's Note:**

> Writing the story how it should have been the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone new to the story, This is a re-upload because i deleted this story when i got depressed.

This was the twelfth time this week Papyrus has rushed out of the house to disappear deep into the Snowdin forest for hours.

He did usually go out to recalibrate his puzzles and check for any fallen humans but even then he didn't take hours doing so. When Sans asked what he was up to he said he was just visiting a new friend and wouldn't be long.

At first, he didn't pay any mind to it. Sans knew Papyrus had a tendency to make imaginary friends of the corpses too rotted to eat. Although he and Sans provided a lot of what they could find to Snowdins residents, it didn't change Papyrus's status any. He was still lonely. Still had no friends no matter what he considered Undick.

So he made his own.

It was a little strange but it made him happy. Sans thinks back to when he brought one he called the crooked man home to meet him and smile at the memory of his brother's gleeful face as he held up the twisted mangled body. Its cut up and ripped skin rotted and frozen into a sickly yellow, neck stretched to an unnatural length causing his partly smashed in head to lay against his flattened torso, the rest of its body broken just as bad. "HE DOESN'T TALK BUT ISN'T HE GREAT?" Papyrus smiled.

"Almost as cool as you bro." he said as he hooked his phalanges into his eye socket. Whatever happened to that one anyway?

When he started putting on bone cologne and bleaching his bones and armor to free any stains they had he got suspicious. He never tried to clean up for them before. Yes, Papyrus was a bit of a neat freak but it had been a long time since he tried to look more presentable given their new line of work ever since Undyne became Empress of the underground. 

"Where ya headed bro?" Sans asked as he tosses the bloodied severed head of the small girl he just killed into the sentry post turning to look at his brother who tried to quietly sneak pass. He eyes the small plastic container of his'special' spaghetti and his smile tightens. Why is he taking food with him? He better not be wasting it on another corpse in an attempt to ' cheer them up'

"J-JUST VISITING MY FRIEND AGAIN DEAR BROTHER. PLEASE DO NOT WORRY, I WILL BE BACK BEFORE CURFEW." he says as he stares nervously down at his older brother.

"Been visiting this friend a lot lately" Sans says as he takes a seat behind the counter of Dogamy's sentry setting down his axe propping his skull on his hand and hooks three phalanges into his eyesocket smile growing tighter. He hated filling in for the mutt but it did pay extra in rations. He glances over at the small girl's body. Her blood staining the blue dress. Especially when he left a little treat. He kicks the head to the corner of the sentry making it thump against the wood. 

"O-OH WELL YES! I DO ENJOY SPENDING A LOT OF TIME WITH THEM A-AFTER ALL." he says as he hunches over more to be at eye level with his brother.

"Mind if I tag along to meat them?" Sans says a little irritably threw clenched teeth as he eyes the container again. 

"O-O-OH..W-WELL YES. I-I DO A-ACTUALLY" Papyrus says as he starts to sweat moving the container behind his spine. 

"Oh? I thought you loved introducing me to your little friends." he says surprised as he unhooks his phalanges from his socket to pointedly look up at his brother. Red eyelight shrinking and slowly lowers his smile.

"W-WELL Y-YES. I DO B-BUT.. S-SHE DOESN'T REALLY LIKE STRANGERS VERY MUCH."

"She?" so it's a female this time? It's not often you came upon one of them. Most of the fallen humans where male hikers not paying attention to where they were going before they slipped through a snow covered crevest at the top of the mountain plummeting to their death. 

"Y-YES! SHE LIVES J-JUST BELOW THE CLIFF NEAR GYFTROT'S HOME. Y-YOU KNOW. IN THE CLEARING BEFORE THE REST OF THE FOREST STARTS? IT IS PARTLY WHY IT TAKES ME A LONG TIME TO RETURN HOME."

All the way down there? He sure was going out of his way to see this corpse turned imaginary friend of his... His eyelight slowly fades out before he full on frowns. 

Sans stares up silently at his brother before getting up and stepping over the body of the tiny human he just killed blood soaking his worn-out pink slippers and stomps over to his brother. 

"C'mer..." Sans grunts. That bitch must have hit him too hard again.

"SANS I ASSURE YOU, EMPRESS UNDYNE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS. WE HAVEN'T HAD TRAINING IN TWO MONTHS. YOU KNOW THAT." Papyrus sighs as he kneels down steal towering over his brother and lowers his head. Sans has to stand on his tip toes as he examines his skull only to find no new cracks or fractures. 

Did he? His memory has been broken up ever since?...ever since.....?Sans lets go of his brothers skull with a grunt and turns around and walks back over to the sentry. 

"SEE EVERYTHING IS FINE."

"What have I told you about wasting food pap." Sans says as he picks up his axe and bends down to grab the wrist of the small body and dragging it away from the large puddle of blood that soaked into the snow around it creating slush. The strong scent of iron filling the air.

"I AM NOT WASTING IT! SHE LOVES MY SPECIAL SPAGHETTI!" Papyrus stomps as he screams.

"You know we can't afford to waste anything we won't get rations for another two weeks.

"IM NOT WASTING IT!"

"This needs to stop. Now." Sans says as he drags the body back towards Snowdin. If anyone saw him acting more like this they may try to report him. Sans was already busting is nonexistent ass trying to keep everyone away from him and turn the other cheek when he was doing something weird. He didn't need more work.

"BUT!-"

"Shes not real! No more with these imaginary friends." Sans yells. He feels bad for doing this to him but it needs to stop.

"SHE IS REAL! I TALK TO HER ALL THE TIME! AND SHE LOVES MY SPECIAL SPAGHETTI!" he voice is shaky now. 

"It's getting late..let's go home..." Sans sighs.

"SHE TALKS BACK!"

Sans stops dead in his tracks.He never said they spoke back to him before. Was he keeping a human he found alive somehow? That couldn't be possible though. Humans die very quickly in temperatures like this and there was no way they could still be hanging on to life after a fall from the surface even with a little monster food.

"She...spoke back?" he turns to look up at his little brother. 

"YES! WE HAVE CONVERSATIONS ALL THE TIME!" he stresses. "SHE EVEN GIVES ME THINGS BACK IN RETURN!" he tucks the container under his humorous and pulls off his glove to show a black ban with a small bird-shaped charm attached to it.

He probably just pulled that off some stiff a while ago..

"SHE SAID SHE WOULD GIVE ME FOOD IN RETURN TOO IF I BROUGHT HER SOMETHING... I SWEAR..PLEASE. BELIEVE ME, BROTHER."

Sans is silent for a long moment. Papyrus never lied about anything when he tried he was never any good at it. He shakes his head. 

"It's too close to curfew. We'll go tomorrow. "

"BUT YOU CAN'T COME!"

Sans continues on towards the small town with the stiff in tow. Papyrus sighs skull hanging low as he drags his boots in the bloody slush trailing behind the body following his brother home.


	2. Sure...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans wants answers, Papyrus won't give them to him And nothing happenes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out the story inspired by this one called 'She's All I See' by Doodlebags : ]

Sans sits in the living room thinking about what his brother told him thrumming his phalanges on the arm of the sofa as the others shake in his socket. There was no way in hell someone could be down there. Papyrus's imagination had to be getting worst....Sans knew he should have stopped it when he started playing with those finger puppets.

His brother was lonely.

He knew that.

He had always been lonely but Sans could never do much about that with all the jobs he had to work to keep Papyrus living a good life, even back when things where normal before the kid came and took all of monsterkinds hope along with them.

Had he been neglecting him that much now? That he had to resort to this? If Undyne caught word of what he was doing he'd be executed for sure. Ever since she became the Empress she used him as a punching bag whenever something went wrong for her. If her captain of her royal guard started showing any sort of unstable or questionable behavior..his teeth clinch as his phalanges tighten around his eyesocket with a death grip and the bone threatens to break. It hurt but it was the only way he could ground himself before his manic thoughts got out of control before he tries to act upon them.

She wasn't the same anymore, Papyrus knew that, but bless him he just had so much faith in her. That she wouldn't do him any 'real' harm despite how much she's already done to him. He had always believed deep down even the worst people could change..that she could change.

He didn't know better..He was glad he manages to always seeing the purity in someone no matter how much he saw the world for what it was. He couldn't help it he was just that great. But..

Papyrus would never lie about things so it had to be his mind playing games with him again. But then there is that ' _what if'_ that keeps rearing it's ugly head in the back of his skull.

What If someone was down there.. feeding on whatever bodies managed to drop in that area. Still wasn't often for that to happen anyways. Especially at the end of winter when hikers could see danger zones. And they would still have to come to all the way to Snowdin Town to receive their rations to survive. And it had been storming a lot lately..there was no way they could make it to town without perishing in the cold unless they were related to the reindeer monster that lived near Lesser dogs station. That was still unlikely though he didn't recall them having any family. And he knew for certain that Gyftrot didn't.

 ' _But if they did'_

Why would they want to want to live so far with the way things were now. He could understand them wanting to be isolated from everyone with the everyone thieving and killing just for a bite to eat. But what would they want with Papyrus? No one had ever given him the time of day let alone acknowledge him before. It didn't make any sense to him. 

'But if there was someone...hiding be' his grin turns sadistic as he remembers last time.

' _Papyrus just didn't know any better.'_

Sans had to keep him safe, he didn't have a choice. 

He knew the little mouse monster from around town. Spoke to them every now and then before things went to shit. Very sweet and polite to his brother, even started to hang around him quite a bit before they were almost always together. He knew it was weird that they were showing so much interest in his little brother all of the sudden But it stopped Papyrus playing with the finger puppets so he let it slide despite his unease.

He knew what hunger did to people but he didn't expect  _that._

When he found out, they threatened to report them for not giving the human souls to Undyne. Even after all he had done for the rodents family.

_Hunger also made people ungrateful.._

Thought they could blackmail him into giving them 80% of what extra food he struggled enough as it was to get for him and his brother.

That wasn't happening.

When Papyrus asked if Sans had seen his friend around anywhere, he just told him they went on a long vacation. 

Maybe he has seen them around town at some point? It couldn't be anyone in that mouse's family. He made sure they learned their lesson. He had been keeping tabs on everyone in town after that. He'd know who it was for sure then so it had to be someone that didn't live here. Or maybe there really was no one and Papyrus really was getting worst.  

He needed answers.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eh.


	3. About as real as the skin on my nose

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually dont like writing Horrortale sans this way towards papyrus.

_"What does she look like_?"Papyrus almost jumps at Sans tone and turns to find Sans is sitting at the table in the kitchen as papyrus prepares dinner. 

Sans stares up at his brother, his eyelight tracing over his skull for any new fractures again for a second time and Papyrus bagans to sweat under is intense gaze. If _Undick_ didn't have to do with how loopy he was acting maybe he banged his skull on a low branch or something Sans thought to himself. 

Papyrus locks eye socket with him as his brother watches him carefully with an unamused look. His beady eye sockets staring back. "H-HUH?.."

" _What D_ oes _She Look Like_. This girl you've been dolling yourself up for, bringin food ta for _useless junk like bracelets._ " Sans manic smile widens as his single red eye light bores into his beady eye sockets. Papyrus frowns and slowly looks down at the black ban with a white peacock charm attached to it hanging loosely on his wrist. 

'It wasn't _useless junk_.. It was special..' She said so after she told him to take it from her wrist and put it onto his own as she sat slouched over in the snow. Her skin like ice as he skimmed his phalanges delicately over her small cold hand and onto her wrist before pulling it off.

He frowns back up at Sans as he waits for him expectingly. 

"What does she look like bro? Gotta be a real cute one if shes got you reading that dating manual again." He said with a smirks teasingly and Papyrus sputters.

He as him cornered now.

Good. Maybe now he can put this to rest. 

"O-OH W-W-WELL U-UHM..S-SHE'S UH...SHE'S VERY SMALL..." Papyrus manages to push out quickly and turns back to the stove. 

"That's it?" Sans said disappointedly and Papyrus stiffins at his tone before he slowly nods still not looking at him and Sans grits his teeth. He couldn't have given a more vague answer. He was the tallest person in town. Everyone was 'very small' to him. 

"That's _all_ you can tell me about how she looks..."

"...YES."

"She's just small..."

"U-UH HUH..." Payrus peeks at Sans to find his unconvinced look slowly shifting to irritation and begins to sweat. 

" _Papyrus_..."

Papyrus turns and stomps his foot. "WELL I NEVER GET A GOOD LOOK AT HER, IT'S ALWAYS STORMING WHEN I VISIT!SNOW GETS IN MY EYESOCKETS! HER HOUSE IS TOO DARK T-TO SEE ANYTHING!" He finishes crossing his arms and Sans eyes his little brother some more. 

"What did you name this one Pap..."His manic smile drops as he stares his brother down as Papyrus fumbles with an an answer

"O-OH..U-MM?HER..H-HER NAME??..UH..I-IT'S A-A PERFECTLY GOOD ONE THATS TOTALLY NOT MADE UP AT ALL!"

" _Which is_?"

"U-UM..I-I.....I..actually..can't..remember.."Papyrus mumbles as he droops his head. It wasn't his fault. He had only heard it once in a bareley audible whisper before she said she was tired and fell asleep next to him. Snow blanketing thier bodies as they sat there quietly enjoying each others company. 

"Because she _isn't real_. It's just your mind playing tricks on you again" Sans tries to reason with him as he gets up to turn and leave but Papyrus gets upset. 

"SHE IS!" He yells as he stomps his foot again and Sans "I told you! No.More. I want all of this to stop before someone sees you acting like this and tells that  ** _demented cunt-"_**

 ** _"-DON'T CALL HER THAT!!!_** "

" _She'll have her take you away from me Papyrus! torture you in that fucking lab until you die slow and painfully! Do you want that!?_ " Sans snaps and Papyrus flinched as his hands come up to his chest before he looks down as tears start to prick the corners of his beady eye sockets and is quiet for a long moment and Sans mentally kicks himself.

He didn't mean to do that...

"She isn't the same anymore Papyrus." Sans said with a regretful tone. 

Papyrus stays quiet for another long moment and sans sighs irritably running his hand over the still intacted side of his skull. 

He needed him to believe him. This was so important to him. She was important.Papyrus speaks up again. 

"...S-She..gave me h-her phone n-n-number"he rasps out almost frantically as he pulls out his cellphone from his back pocket, Screen shattered to oblivion 

 _"I said, enough_." Sans glares at him and Papyrus lowers his phone placing it on the table.

"Paps... Look kiddo but please...Just stop. Ok? No more of this." Sans walks over to Papyrus until his standing in front of him and look up into his wet beady eye sockets and pulls on his arm until Papyrus defeatedly falls to his knees, still towering over Sans and he hugs him. "I-I can't lose you..."

Papyrus stays silent. 

"How about I read you a bed time story ok? It's been a while since you had one of those right?" Papyrus sniffles and nods. Getting up they head upstairs. 

* * *

 

Once papyrus fell asleep Sans heads back downstairs and plops on the couch. He glances over to his brothers abandoned cell phone for a long moment before it's in-cased in a blue glow and floats into his hand and presses the call button swiping through the contact list easily finding the unknown number.

He was going to get to the bottom of this tonight. Paps never been so set on trying to convince him about one of his little friends before. He would normally drop it after they would talk,not that it stopped him from playing with them.. But he needed to see it this time

He presses call and It rings twice before the line picks up and Sans eyesockets widen as he listen only to hear loud static, a high pitch ringing and a weird clicking sound before a piercing migraine racks his skull making him grunt in pain and drop the phone as he covers his ear holes. It falls into his lap and he grabs it flinging it to the other side of the couch squeezing his sockets shut tight when the pain becomes unbearable and suddenly he hears a barely audible distorted voice then the phone shuts off completely.  

He huffs and pants as the pain slowly subsides glancing over to the cellphone eyesockets, darker than the void.

'That voice.'

A cold shudder runs down his spine as the soft deep distorted sound echos in his skull

' Where had I heard it before?'

He hesitantly reaches to grab it and presses the power button again. 

It's completely out of batteries.

He chucks it back over to the other side of the couch.He didn't need this right now. The ringing didn't stop.his skull throbbing, and body ached. Glancing up at the clock it was 9:47. He shut his eyes only for a moment He was still exhausted after having to deal with Doggo earlier when he tried to hassle the slime family out of their ration chips. It took a lot out of him. Took a lot out of Doggo too seeing as how he is more than just blind now.He snickers to himself rubbing his eye sockets and sighs. He was going to be in deep shit for it but the mutt knew better. He sits there for a moment longer collecting his thoughts relaxing into the cushions of the couch before sluggishly getting up and garbing his ax he quietly slips out the door. With Doggo incapacitated for the time being and the favor Dogamy owed him now. He shouldn't get hassled for being out past curfew now. He needed to speak to Gyftrot


	4. But Im Not Lying! I swear..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly i didn't plan to have any of this in the story but i felt the story was boring so i went with this garbage. So im sorry if any of you lose interest in reading after this

As expected Doggo isn't on patrol tonight. Good. That meant he only had to deal with the dog marriage, and Greater Dog. He knew the big fella wouldn't bother him at all but he still didn't want to run into him, he didn't want to have to let him down again, the poor guy's HoPe had gotten a lot lower this month and was looking a lot worst, but despite everything.. he was always still friendly and happy to see him. Even with the favor, Dogamy owed him, that wouldn't keep Dogaressa off his back, He needed to be quick if he was going to make it past them and back without any troubles.

As snow gently falls over the silent town as Sans makes his way through only to linger at the town's border for twelve minutes. What if they finished it already though? it was just a head.. They would certainly want more than that, and he'd be damned if he where to give them something else with how much more they earned than he did. Dagoressa would move in to attack him for sure if he didn't have a nice bloody chunk for a bribe..so would Dogamy if she instigated him enough. He tightens the grip on his axe as his other hand snakes its way up to his eye socket to curl is phalanges into it, he didn't have the energy to fight them at the same time. None to even teleport pass them from here, and he could run into them at any second the moment he stepped pass the rock formation that was painted to look like a bridge.

*Maybe he could separate them somehow and get one of them alone long enough to-

A sharp pain pierces through his thoughts and he let's out a hiss hunching over, his phalanges constricting around his orbital socket and clinches his eye sockets shut on reflex. He pulls them carefully from the shut socket and reaches for his hood and pulls it over his skull to stop more snowflakes from collecting inside of it and freezing the magic stored inside and quickly makes his way out of town. Even without a brain this still hurt like hell.He was just going to have to play roulette.

 

Approaching Greater Dog's outpost he carefully makes his way through avoiding the snow poffs with rusted bear traps hidden underneath them. Just as he passes the tiny dog house his slipper snags onto a heavy chain covered by the snow making the overly sensitive trap snap closed with a deadly force and the tiny dog house jumbles shaking off the snow that coated the roof and onto greater dogs as he pokes his wet black nose out of it curiously before standing up to his full colossal size making the snow cave in around the large den that hid underneath it the tiny house atop his head toppling off onto the frozen ground. he shakes off and looks around spotting Sans and pants excitedly wagging his tail weakly and Sans sighs.

"...Heya Big guy."

Sans calls over to him and the dog stiffly attempts to make his way over to him, struggling to walk over in the giant rusted suit of armor before giving up and whimpering. Opting to kneel the suit down and carefully tries to hop out of the suits opening but catches his hind leg in it falling to the ground with a yelp before carefully getting up and limping his weak body over to Sans only to stop and pant weakly when he's halfway there. Sans stares down in pity at the once-hefty well-fed dog who was now just skin and bone shaking with fatigue and trying to catch its breath, his soft fluffy stork white fur now stained with filth, sticks and twigs that clung to large mattes, while other areas have fallen off from the majority of his weak body refusing to grow back without proper nutrients. Sans slowly walks to him careful not to set off any more traps kneeling to pet him atop his furry head once he to him. Greater dog weakly wags his tail again pushing into the much desired affection closing his small black eyes and licking his nose. Sans pulls his hand away making the dog slowly open them back up and look up at him as he lays on the cold ground, anguish clear as day on his face. The dog huff out in small breaths leaning his head up to sniff and boops his nose into Sans shorts pocket whimpering wagging his tail a little more excitedly.

"Sorry fella, nothing today" Sans says regretfully. Greater Dog's Stares at him expectingly letting out a long whine his tail slowing down.

" There's not much left of me big guy, I can't.." Grater Dog's tail drops lowering his head back into the snow.

"...See ya around.." Sans says getting up and clearing the rest of the trap covered snowy filed. Greater dog continues to lay on the icey ground too weak to bother moving and watches as Sans silhouette disappears in the translucent snowy wind as a sheet of snow slowly covers him.

Turning onto the narrow path ahead and another as he makes a right towards the cliff side with the cave that had a mysterious door inside. Large glowing eyes watching him as he passes by the various crevices in cliffside wall when he crushes something under his slippered foot and a faint smells wafts into the air before the wind blows it away and he stops.

_'That smelled like it was...'_

he looks down kicking up the snow to find a shattered plastic container with deep reddish-orange stains. He growls stomping over towards the cave.

"Gyftrot! Ya there?"Sans waits for a moment and the deer monster pokes his head slowly out of the cave entrance before slowly trotting out and stopping when he spots Sans. His head shifting from one side to the other, opening his sideways mouth to let out a puff of steam as he squints his eyes through the now heavily falling snow.

"who's? there?.."

Sans steps into the deer's sight and his Cheshire smile stretches more when Gyftrot's eyes winded and his hind legs start to tremble.

"Sans??What do you want!?" he looks around suspiciously. "It's pass curfew why are you here!" he hisses ducking his head.

"Jus came to Axe you somethin.." Sans jokes stepping closer as he shoulders his axe.

"Seen my brother around here lately? Been saying a bunch of nonsense about a new friend..A girl specifically" Gyftrot's face scrunches into disgust and glares up at him slowly backing away lowering his head more.

"Yes! Keep him away from here! Im sick of that loud idiot bringing those disgusting things around here and then leaving them to litter my cliff!"  
he hisses.

Sans clinches his axe bones rattling."No... not one of.." he growls "Says this one talks"

Gyftrot's eyes widen in fear before he bares his pointed teeth in anger "Especially that one!.."

Sans face contorted into small shock.

_'So there was someone...'_

no...no that couldn't be right... Papyrus was just..sick.

Sans looks off into the distance from where he came thinking of the stained plastic buried by the snow and feels his sternum heat with anger.

_He was just playing a prank on him._

"So you know all about it huh? what can you tell me aboud'er?" he says lowering his ax dragging it in the snow behind him as he closes the distance between them and Gyftrot's whole body starts to tremble.

"Y-yes! I-it's down the cliff by the log cabin in the clearing! It-it lives in there!" he stutters backing away quickly as Sans advances on him.

"It used to come up here every night and stare at me from outside the cave like a creep! B-before your brother started coming around! "

" oh really?...." he hums as Gyftrot makes it to the mouth of the cave stumbling over another empty container. "Because to me it looks like you've been playing a dirty trick in order to get more than you need.." he says kicking up the plastic bowl with Papyrus's name scribbled on it and the deer monsters eyes widen and shakes his head in fear.

"N-N-no i-i swear i haven't it was her! I swear it was her she leaves them up hear after curfew starts! I-I don't know how she gets up here but she does!" Sans pauses a few feet away from him red eye trained on him before something draws his attention to the left down the cliff easily spotting the small cabin. The thing had been there for years, he was surprised to see it still standing. An ominous feeling creeps into his skull as static starts to invalid his mind and his visions starts to blur the longer he looks at it.

"Y-you're part of the royal guard aren't you!? Go do something about it! Get rid of it! it's disturbing my peace with it was nightly shenanigans and i don't feel comfortable with it walking around here!" Sans continues to stare at the cabin as the static grows louder and his mind races with disbelief and confusion. There was something there a long time ago, someone? he was supposed to...' His skull stars to ache as his vision slowly fails him. Gyftrot takes the small window to turn and dash to the back of the cave only to collide into Sans sternum midway.

" Gahh!" Gyftrot tries to back away but Sans grabs him by one of his antlers as he looks around the cave to find more of the empty and half eaten containers broken and tossed about inside.

"P-please! That's all i know about it!" Sans hums again in thought closing his eye sockets trying to smother the pain throbbing behind his orbitals.

"Just go away you freak!" Sans eyes shoot open as he raises his ax the deer monster kicks his hind legs and bucks trying to yank his horns free from the skeleton mans death grip only to letting out a shrill yelp as the ax is brought down in a swift motion.

Gyftrot charges in a last-ditch attempt to escape, his antlers tare through his shirt hooking through Sans ribs and pushing with as much strength he could muster to slam the surprised skeleton man into the mysterious door at the back of the cave and turning hoof running out bucking in fear screaming for help. Sans swing had only managing to clip a portion of the deer monsters antlers. Grunting irritably he shoves the piece he managed to trim off into his pocket and teleports outside of the cave looking around catching a glimps of something going over the edge of the cliff as screaming can be heard in the distance but knows there was no way in hell the bull was stupid enough to run the wrong way. He can't see much of 10 feet in front of him anyways so it mush have just been a heavy snow poff that finally fell from it's perch. 

Carefully and urgently follows the narrow path avoiding the certain death opposite to him his skull throbbing in more pain from wasting more energy. He needed to eat. he needed this pain to stop. that unwavering itch deep within his soul that his phalanges couldn't reach matter how much he clawed and scraped at his bones. That alien hollow feeling never leaving. The ration chips Undick started giving them were just flavorless magic fillers that didn't do shit for him and Paps but give them something to chew on for a while. If anything it worst than the empty feeling of his hunger. He would find himself sicker than a dog making it harder to concentrate on anything he was doing. His magic would weaken and Papyrus even wound up unconscious once before from the unusually generous amount of 'food' they had received once before. He knew Alphys had something to do with it. looking for another victim to lay out on her lab table and experiment on.

The static sound slowly fades the further he moves away from the cliff. he should have been smarter instead of acting on impulse. This pain wasn't worth all of this, and he's wasted too much magic already and for nothing. he was already so tired. he just wanted to sleep but he still had a long track home and he can't let him bring attention to them. he was already going to be in enough trouble if Doggo reported him he didn't need another aggravated assault added to that list along with being out past curfew, if the idiot had stayed still in the first place he wouldn't have to lose more than part of his rack, it was all he wanted in return for all the free food he had been sceeving off his brother in the first place. he wishes he could have gotten more. It was only for Greater Dog but it would have to do. listening to whatever sound he could make out in the blowing winds and makes it off the path close to greater dog's station when he see the deer's silhouette a ways in front of him and pauses tightening his grip on his ax, greater dog must have stopped him.

 _shit_.

he needed to come up with an excuse. he quietly he gets closer only now able to see that it...wasn't him..

 

' _..No one else should be out past curfew right now.'_

Getting closer he manages to make out a very large pale hairless back of someone crouched over, branch-like horns reaching up toward the cavern ceiling, body unnaturally thin for whatever it was and a large amount of bushy hair swaying from its head in the wind as rotted flesh, mulch, burnt hair and, iron scent hit his nose hole before its blown away. they shake their head in a tearing motion and he hears a loud yelp, sans face shifts from confusion to shock when he realizes what it is. He teleports in front of it to be his with a find it hunched over greater dog its bony fingers wrapped around his neck in a death grip as it rips off his right hind leg and tail with its mouth, its murky white eyes trained on its pray as Greater Dog loudly yelps out in more pain. his left leg already completely gone making him look as if he had been ripped in half from the waist only leaving his torso and large intestines as he lay in a pool of his own blood and dust. The creature jumps back just in time as sans swings his ax down at its neck backing up, its foot stomps into a snow poffs making the hidden bear trap snap shut around its left ankle shattering the bone. it howls out in pain dropping the severed leg and it turns to dust the moment it hit the snowy ground. there's barking in the distance and the creature becomes frantic as it tries to free its leg from the trap Sans takes the opening swinging again managing to slice open its thin right arm making it shrieks out clutching it. the dogi make their way over to assess the situation to find the creature and one of their soldiers fatally injured as the other Sans stands off with it.

"What is!-"

"(-That thing!?")

The creature growls swiping its injured arm to at sans chest with long sharp claws He dodges it bringing his ax down again dismembering it. the hand falls to the ground and it lets out a blood-curdling screech and tries to charge him only to tear its ankle more in the process. it snarls standing up and leaning on its good hind leg and glowers down at them with bright sunken murky white eyes. its right arm gone and bleeding, getting a better look at it now his face twists into disgust, its bones pressed into its pale leathery skin making it look as if it was pulled tightly over them threatening to tare at every movement it made, its small sagging breast shaking with every deep breath it took. its horns twisted and stretched out mimicking tree branches. the flesh on its snout appeared to have been scratched off and decaying as fresh blood dripped from it. It looked like some sort of cross between a deformed human female and elk.

"G..g-Guo..w aAw..a..ii " it hisses out in a childlike voice and tries to take a step back only to pull the trap with it.

Sans freezes shocked. 

is mind racing as he looks up at the creature eye light flicking to the severed hand on the snowy ground for a moment, revolted at what he was seeing.

 

 _'This isn't a monster_ ' His eyelight flick back up to its bloodied scornful face.

 

 _'or human_.'

 

something much more than that shouldn't exist. gears start turning in his head.

'was this...supposed to be her?... this.... _thing_.' steals a glace over to Gd's half-eaten body slowly turning to dust.

 

he mutters under his breath as rage feels his rib cage. His left socket stinging painfully as tendrils of magic flare out from it.The dogi slowly circle around to its sides as sans stands off with it at its front. Dogaressa stands on its right as dogamy takes stance at its left. He growls barking out a ring of white and blue hearts to Dogsressa and she follows suit. The creature growls and lets out a wale of pain as it tries to flee. Dogaressa is first to sprint towards it. teeth bared she swings cutting into its left thigh with her axe making it screech out again, Dogamy follows suit on only to be struck into sans knocking them almost off the edge of the room it shoots its hand down to twist into Dogaressa's hood picking her up and slamming her into the ground narrowly missing a bear trap hidden snow poff and she drops er axe. the creature slams her into the ground again in an attempt to crush her, she yips and immediately snaps her jaws around its wrist, her sharp fangs ripping into the flesh and she gasps when its blood hits her tongue. Sans is quickly back to his feet and takes the opportunity to teleport beside it and chop through the rest of damaged limb severing its damaged leg making it fall to its knee briefly letting go of Dogaressa she tries to crawl away only to be pulled back and slammed again. Dogamy rushes to Greater dogs side.

"Hold on! Y-You'll be ok!" tears prick the corners of his eyes as he cups Greater dogs head in his paw and fists his cloke pocket yanking out a small deep red dog treat trying to stuff it into greater dogs maw as he pants heavily unable to accept it into his mouth his small dulling black eyes trained on nothing letting out small whines of agony with each pant, the rest of his body slowly deteriorating into white sparkling dust letting out a few more shallow breaths before crumbling apart in his paw. tears fall down his furry cheeks but growls refusing to let anymore fall. there was no time for grieving he runs to his wife aid as the creature her up again

"Don't touch my hot dog!" Dogamy yells running on all fours and leaps up attacking its neck his sharp fangs manage to get through the thick layer of hair around its neck and it lets out a strangled sound dropping her to the ground and grabs the scruff of his neck to try to pull him off only managing to make him tear its neck more in the process, the creature gurgles and hisses when it manages to rip the dog free from it's throat as blood spills from its torn open neck and stills before it weakly falls to it's knees then trains its bright eyes on Dogamy grugling out a growl. Dogamy's ears fall back flat and tail tucks between his legs as he spits out the torn flesh as it bares it teeth widely opening it's maw slowly bringing him towards it's mouth. 

"N-no! Take my wife!" Dogamy cowardly screams as he frantically waves his paws in front of his body quickly glancing down at Dogaressa's angry and betrayed face

"...'s fleas! T-take my wife's f-fleas!" He tries to cover it up as she growls at him before turning to sans. 

"(Go get the captain!)" she yells over to sans hissing warping her arms around her likely broken ribs. In the blink of an eye Sans is gone.

A hole is ripped through time and space as Sans slips into the dark abyss of the void. He feels himself being hugged tightly and securely by his magic yet as if he was slipping away at the same time. He needed to concentrate. He needed to get back home. to Papyrus, to their cabin.

_The cabin._

His mind floods back to the cabin he saw from the cliff and staticbeginss to fill his head again as pain rakes over him, and then nothing. 


	5. ...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans has a bad time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I dont know why i did this rewrite.

You stands outside of the cabin staring up at the dark unnaturally flawless interior. Your smile widening almost painfully in disbelief, red iris enlarging in your socket burning brightly melting away any snowflakes that attempted to land inside of it but still filling the other.

You just stood there.

Bones rattling so hard with mirth its painful, hoodie being coated in thick layers of snow slowly threatening to bury you as the blizzard winds attempt to knock you over. The reoccurring static sound making it hard to focus on anything else but you try to ignore it.

You don't know why you doubted him to began with.

You knew paps wasn't a lair.

You knew that.

You knew it. 

just...

_why did you feel the need to prove him wrong so badly?_

Why where you so desperate to see this for yourself? This cabin had been here for over century and looked as if it had just been built not but a day ago, you could still smell the freshly cut pine wood from it. Your eye light scans over the house that was strikingly similar to his own before landing on a window, staring long and hard at it's dark glass.

It's too dark to see anything.

Gripping the axe in your hand tight enough to splinter the wooden handle you move up to the front door and grip the handle jiggling it roughly as frost falls off from the decorative arch around it and onto your bony hand and wrist. 

It's locked.

_You need to get in._

_You needed to. There was no way that **thing** could have been her. He said she was small._

_You have to see her._

You feel your magic pulse threateningly, your manic smile tightening.

_Papyrus is spending way too much time away from home..._

_From him._

_She's just trying to get an extra meal ticket._

_You have to kill her._

You grunt as your mind begans to race and turn to slowly make your way over to the window dragging your axe along with you coating your worn out slippers in mush as you stomp to the window and peer inside only to still see nothing. Moving to open it with your unoccupied hand you grip the metal frame and jerk it up.

It's frozen shut.

_'No worries..'_

Closing your eye sockets for a moment you try to focus and conjuring up as much magic as possible while ignoring the boiling heat that begans to gather behind your orbital bone. Opening your eye sockets again your left one flares with deep red and blue wisps of hot magic, melting the caked on frost off of your face and teleporting inside. You clinch your teeth tightly, along with your axe as you hiss when your skull racks with a hammering pain as the magic inside of it writhes around and the siring agony your eye socket is in as it flumes with burning hot blue and red smoke as your eye light shakily darts around into the unknown. The light flaring from your socket being swallowed completely by a vantablack void.

Papyrus was right, you can't see a fucking thing in here... Living with no sunlight your entire life didn't help with your vision in here one bit.

You were _blind_.

You continue to look for anything you could possibly see and wipe away the sweat building on your brow bone with your soggy sleeve only just noticing how hot it was inside when you felt wet and soggy clothes cling to your bones, the snow and ice that coated you completely melted and soaking you. There wasn't any smoke from a fireplace while standing outside and you defiantly can't see one but it feels as if the house was just set ablaze and was about to burn to the ground.

Ignoring it, you taking a few quick steps forward, the floorboards creaking underneath your weight you're hit with a putrid smell and roughly collide into something in the shape of a person making you stumble back as it collapses to the floor with a loud thud that echoes through the house as the oder becomes worst. 

God the smell.

You recognized this scent. You only learned about it when the kid didn't load right away after dying in Hot land. It had been so many damn years ago but you would never forget that smell. Their body  had swelled up like a balloon, stiff and ready to burst at any small puncture it got, skin dried out and ripped open leaving trails of small cracks in it as blood curdled through them. the body swelled more over time as boils full of blood and other bodily fluids formed over the less chard areas of their arms and leg, their eyelids withered away and eyes grossly wide as they bulged out of their head making them look like surprised.

_The face they made..._

The whole thing would have been hilarious to you after what they did to everyone if it weren't for that _fucking smell._

You can't stop yourself from gagging and your hand shoot up to cover your nasal bone. Dropping your axe stumble backwards trying to get away from the offending stench, soaked slippers sloshing on the wooden floor creaking more under your steps until you back into something wet and slimy, yet firm making you jump.

_~~"E︎v︎e︎n︎ w︎i︎t︎h︎ t︎h︎a︎t︎ w︎h︎o︎l︎e︎ i︎n︎ y︎o︎u︎r︎ s︎k︎u︎l︎l︎ y︎o︎u︎r s︎t︎i︎l︎l︎ able to r︎e︎m︎e︎m︎b︎e︎r︎ t︎h︎a︎t︎?~~  _" A deep distorted voice in the darkness speaks clear from behind you and something else is mumbled in almost a small purr making you jump and you whip your head back eye socket flaring threateningly summing a barrage of bones in the space where it stood to only to hear the bones embed into the wall far infront of you. 

What was that?

~~_"Yet, you can't remember me?"_ ~~

You hear something behind you being dragged against the floor before it turns into a slow heavy foot fall coming down what you guessed was a hall somewhere in the house, and stops for a long moment and the dragging continues before it goes quiet again and you feel a presence infront of you.

" ~~I'm offended Sans....What happened to not forgetting?"~~

It's swarming around your being now. Ghosting over your body with curiosity before its gone and it's silent again. You feel a warm breath softly fan over the top of your skull as something feathery drapes around you as something beak like clanks against your right cheek bone a few time making you flinch hard. Suddenly the pain and noise is gone, the heat is replace with mild warmth mumbling something. You still cant make out anything its saying. But it makes you feel uneasy. 

You need to move.

You have to get out of here. Right. Now.

The urgency of escaping this...place...make your unstable mind flood with panic. Petrified with fear you stand there motionless for what feels like hours as the thing continued its weird assault on you. 

Silent as the dead.

waiting.

Just waiting for it to leave, just go away. The pain comes back as a static noise of distorted echos start to grow in your skull as your magic hammers uncomfortably, and joints slowly start to lock painfully against your will. You refuses the urge to clench your eyesockets shut and double over in pain as the migraine attack throes at the edges of the hole in your skull and behind orbital bones, sweat stinging with malicious intent as it drips into your good eye socket. You refuse. You know something is there to kill you.  

That feeling you knew all too well.  

Just waiting like you are for them to do something.

Waiting for you to make any little twitch, any shudder, any movement at all again to kill you the very moment you do. Your non-existent throat tightening painfully, mouth too dry to swallow the lump in it. You try to focus on anything but that feeling and, begin to feel sick as you fight off the reoccurring gauge that comes with each inhale of the suffocating putrid smell of rotted flesh that hits your vomer bone. Static and multiple distorted voices screaming and mumbling nonsense echoing in your skull. Something soft and feathery brushes over your skull and you have to hold back the sudder that almost rattles your bones. You don't want to admit it but you are actually scared. For the first time in years your to petrified with fear of whats going to happen to you, so you do nothing.After what felt like another hour before finally mustering up the courage to shove away the feathery thing draping over you only for your hand to go straight through it and find nothing there. You don't even hear or feel anything anymore. 

" ~~ _Please, You have nothing to fear in here_~~."

The disembodied voice calls out in a satirical tone as if addressing more than just you. Suddenly the pain and noise is gone. and the heat is replace with...mild warmth? only the mumbling now. You still cant make out anything its saying. you feel them on you. their presence directly in front of you swarming around your being. ghosting over your body with curiosity before its gone and it's silent again.You can't even hear the mumbling anymore. 

Was it...Just your imagination? All of that noise the pain you felt? you swear it was real

_'Its just the dark,there's nothing to be afraid of_.'

You tell yourself.

~~"But your fears of what lies in it."~~

Dread racks your body as the atmosphere changes again into something much more sinister when the voice speaks as clear as day from behind you. Holding back every fight or flight thought that rears it's ugly head in the back of your mind staying as still as possible. Your hand shoots up to your eye socket and you lets out a roaring scream of anguish when something trenchant icy cold suddenly pierces through the thin film of magic in your left eye socket, Your last vision being the mocking pale face and burning violet eyes before the light is snuffed out completely fully blinding you.

Darkness consumes you.

Your body feels weightless yet heavy heavy at the same time.

You're falling.

 you remember this place.

The Void.

You feel gravity pick up quickly before hitting a wooden floor and quickly stand, stubbling to catch yourself on the wall to try to steady yourself and gasp. 

You teleported somewhere else in the house, you don't know were though. Something slowly whisk itself around your body draping over your back like a cool sheet cocooning itself around you pinning your arms to your sides as it seeps through your hot soggy hoodie and into your bones. And you panic again as you shudder hard and your legs began to buckle, unable to stop your bones from rattling painfully against each other, but manage to stay standing. Hot tears slowly run down your cheek bones and onto clattering teeth when you feel something claw like grab onto your shoulder and something wet and worm like slips inside of the opening of your skull. The noise defining.

_You're going to die._

_Why did you come here._

You should have just listened to paps. Taken his word and left it alone.

You think back to the anger you felt when you picked Papyrus up from his first day of school with his front tooth missing and how happy he was that it had gotten knocked out during recess.

His first time forming a bone attack with his magic.

When they spent Christmas alone together because their father was stuck in the lab late

When papyrus turned 13 and threw away all of his stripe shirts and they celebrated 

How you did nothing the first time the kid came from the ruins covered in dust. How they smiled when Papyrus's head fell to the ground before turning to dust.

You should have protected him.

You still needed to protect him

Papyrus can't loose you. 

Focusing as hard as you can again while trying your hardest to ignore the creature breaking off another part of your skull fracturing it your left eye socket burns and crackles with magic as you summon a gaster blaster. A bright light white forming in it's maw and illuminating the room revieling a large white bird infront of you with a piece of your skull in its beak before the light become blinding and its blasted away 

Shakily you take a small step forward, the hardwood floor creek.

The static and distorted mumbles are gone. 

It's silent. You can't eve hear the storming outside anymore. all you can hear is the thrumming of your magic in your skull. The pain is gone.

Slowly you take another step through the house. Floor creaking with each step as your phalanges cling to your sleeves like a life line flinching hard when you bump into something cold and glass like. hesitantly you bring your hand up to graze it met with a clank as your phalanges carefully explore its cool surface. You stare straight ahead at the trying to calm down, feeling more hot tears of magic run over your cheek bones, trembling from your nerves.

This had to be a window right? You should be close to the door then.

Talking small calm breaths ignoring the smell as best you could you focus your magic to your eye sockets again as the began to fracture.

You just needed to see a little , you needed to get home, papyrus was waiting for you.  Slowly your vision starts to come into focus and a blurry red light is all you can pay attention to until you make out a pale bloodied face with a sickening wide smile staring back at you a few inches in front of you and rushe your fist into it. 

glass shatters loudly in front of you as you trip over something behind you slamming onto your back and smacking your skull against the hard wood floor, the cracks growing deeper as you feel the one over your bad eye socket reach over your nasal bone. Your head rings as you lay there body growing weaker and you feel sleepy. You just needed to rest for a moment. Just enough to get your energy back. Closing your eye sockets your breathing slows.

Your bone start to loose density as you feel something sand like spilling from you and pooling onto the floor around your body.

It feels.. Nice.

Letting go.

Finally able to relax after so long.

_Wait_

 

 

 

You can't. Not yet.

 

 

 

weakly opening your eye socket again you notice a crooked large white rectangle when your blurred sight comes back into vision.

The door.

weakly you trie to scramble off your back when something freezing wraps around your ankle pulling you back as it snakes its other appendage up your other leg and under your shorts tightening around your femur. the putrid smell sits on top of you now as the heat of the cabin is replaced with frigid coldness. The thing hisses out as it straddles you and you reache out for whatever you can and swings it at the thing making it fall back and kicks it as hard as you can and hear something snap as it lets go and scrabble for the door. Huffing and Stumbling over things as you make your way through what was assumed to be the living room. The moment you barrel out you're hit with an onslaught of freezing wind and snow much more welcomed than the unnatural cold you felt drape around him in the cabin He gasps for the fresh air its cool piney scent replacing the foul one that filled the cabin. You feel more of something spill from your body, no longer able to feel your hands or feet as the numbness creeps up your arms and shoulder before spreading up your legs making it harder to balance and walk, but keep running until you make a good distance your legs give out in the knee high snow collapsing to catch your breath as the snow storm threatens to bury your stilled form.

slowly you turn to look back at the now abandoned looking structure. Windows broken and roof caved in as the cabin falls apart. The door wide open. A large white figure of a person stands in the shadows of the darkness of the house dressed in what appeared to be a burned tattered sweater and torn tights. It's face partially missing and covered with blood. Hands pressed against the door frame in a possessive manor. You shudder as pure fear rocks your body.

Looking away you push yourself up slowly stumbles forward praying it doesn't follow you. When you hesitantly looks again you can no longer see the house. Huffing in mild relief not wanting to think too much on how certain you where about them following you and turns back to the direction you assumes the cliff is in.

You takes a few more steps when you feel a a large agonizing presser against the side of your skull and hears a loud crack as you fall to your knees, and catching yourself with the nubs of your humorus as pieces of your shattered skull falls to the snowy ground, your head feels numb, vision failing again only seeing a red splatter onto the snow below you and something shimmery white slowly sprinkles down along with it. The static is back as it slowly rings in your head until you can no longer hear.

You feel your body crumble away and then you feel nothing.

Darkness consumes you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep.


	6. But It Wasn't A Lie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus p.o.v

Sans closes the warn book and gets up from the chair pulled up to the bed and heads to the door. "Night paps..." he says as he walks through pulling it closed as he leaves. "S-sans?..." he pauses waiting for him to continue. "...Thank you for reading me a story..." Sans grunts in response before walking fully out. "Sans??" he pauses again waiting for him to finish " I love you.." Sans is silent a moment surprised by the sudden affectionate words. When was the last time they have even said that to one another? when was the last time he has even said it to him on his own? Sans cheeks ting with mild embarrassment at the realization.

 

 

Its been a year.

 

 

"..I love you more paps..." he mumbles to him.Papyrus perks up and leans up on his elbows feeling a little more confident now."S-sans?...about tomorrow I-I just wan-"Sans turns back to face Papyrus with an irritable glare.

 

 

"I thought i made it clear the first time Papyrus. I've already fucking said enough with this. No more. that's it. You know, I really don't understand why you have to be so damn hard headed instead of just listening to me when I tell you to do something for your and my sake." his eye light burns brightly as he stares his little brother down and papyrus looks away cress fallen again, his non existent throat tightening as his emotions swell up.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry for stressing you out brother and that I'll just take care of important things..instead of.. you know...." he mumbles heartbroken. Sans sighs out rubbing the back of his neck before heading out "Get some rest bro." and closes the door.

* * *

Papyrus curls up into a tight ball under the covers, brow bones knitted tightly together as he stares into the darkest corner of his room. He waits for the steps on the stairs to fall silent and lets out a shaky breath and hot tears fall down his nasal bone and the corner of his socket, wetting his pillow and sniffles.Why is he acting this to him?..was it something he said? what did he do??... _is it because of her_? he just wanted to help her and make a new friend..and how could he just say that about Undyne? She was the most wonderful best friend he ever had. His only friend before she became empress...Sure she had been a little more crude to him these recent years but she was still the same Undyne he knew that would strive with the undying passion and determination that made her, her.

She was just stressed out from the new job and needed to vent. Being the great skeleton he was he gladly helped her release some steam with violent training.

That's all.

He could take care of himself perfectly fine, Why couldn't Sans understand that? When was he going to stop treating him like a baby bones? He sniffles again before scrubbing his tears away with his cover. He thinks back to his brother's words earlier when he called her Those names, it hadn't been the first time. It was nothing new. He's called her much worst before and they would fight but this time? the pure rage on his face and hatred in his voice as he spat them out. Papyrus cringes new tears falling now as he tries to hold it together.

Things between them were getting worst almost every week. He didn't understand how what he did and why Sans was always blaming Undyne for it. how could he believed she of all people would hurt him? He knew Sans didn't care for her too many years ago, but why did that have to change how he felt about him? he was his little brother. Sans had always supported everything he did 100% without question and never doubted his judgment or treated him like this before. He had always shown him that he loved him unconditionally, but now?...Papyrus presses his skull into the pillow and lets out a frustrated groan. He sniffles again calming down and turning to face the wall and tried to sleep.

hours pass as his mind races.

He knew Sans loved him.

It was a fact!

..But...

He never acted like it anymore. Sans rarely ever spoke to him now...and he was always gone from home when he didn't need to be or working overtime despite how much he already earned with his captain's position in the royal guard. He was avoiding him. He knew that.. but he wouldn't even say anything to him when he'd bring it up. He would just give him that look and shove his phalanges into his eye socket and shrug him off with a dumb pun. Sans had never been good with confrontations...when he was home, he'd usually just got straight to their tool shed or go straight to his room without a word and sleep until his next shift a day or so later. H wouldn't even speak to him when on supper night unless he brought up having to go to the capital for Royal Guard business and then they would fight... He knew Sans could never hate him so why was the thought there in the first place? He never bothered getting involved anymore so why did he have to care so much today off all days about what he was doing! Papyrus sighs turning back over to stare at the dark corner of his room again watching as a small dark muted orange blob rolls twists around then slowly stretches long thin tendrils up the wall to the ceiling as if trying to pull itself up only to fail sinking back down to the floor slowly blending back into the darkness. he removes his hand from under the cover and shoots it a thumbs up for trying and a bright bean shaped pinprick of orange in the middle of it glows before being enveloped by darkness completely and he frowns. He looks at the band with a bird charm around his wrist his thoughts switching over to the girl he met just a few days ago. She was probably upset with him now, she was expecting him over hours ago and he stood her up. Maybe he should call? No. He knew she wouldn't answer.. She hadn't moved a muscle after he left for home that night. Propped against the log cabin slumped forward sitting in the snow. Her skin paler than the day before, and almost as cold as the ice they were sitting in as he ran his phalanges delicately over her small hand and onto her wrist before pulling off the bracelet she offered to him. Who was he kidding he knew she was upset with him now. Sad and lonely without him... He hadn't come and seen her today to give her a gift in return for the one she gave him like he had promised.

Besides, that wasn't the proper gentleman thing to do, he needed to see her in person to explain himself, but... Sans would get angry again. He feels anxiety build in his rib cage again, he really didn't want to have another conversation like earlier again. But he needed to see her.She must be very hungry by now.. He can't help but worry deeply about her. He needed to go to her.

 

But Sans...

 

 

He wasn't crazy no matter what looks his brother shot him when he would pass by his sentry with a new body in tow or a few new cracks in his skull. Who was he to judge anyways? It wasn't like Sans mind was there half of the time anymore after...the accident he had with Undyne. He sniffles hard and buries his face into the pillow. she didn't mean to. He knew she didn't mean to, she was just stressed out and used to being rough and Sans was just so fragile. Sans hasn't been the same ever since then aside from sleeping all the time but when he wasn't he would often look ready to turn to dust or became violent, quick to set off often assaulting people that got too close or just looked at the hole in his skull for too long. He still didn't understand why that made it turn on him too. why he would swat at him whenever he'd try to heal him calling it was a waist of time, no longer having any regards that he was still his loving brother and worried for his health constantly and that he was just trying to help only to be called annoying and shoved into the door having profanities muttered at him in return. Even with him being captain now, He couldn't even show him a little respect there?...It started off with mild teasing at first when he started playing with the little things he found on the fallen humans but...

All he was trying to do was just pass time. The crippling slow time that grew longer and longer each day. Everyone losing hope, and turning bitter and feral as their hunger grew and their hope diminishing making them more demanding with him and sans help. It was depressing... but he needed to stay positive. To continue to see the world in his lens no matter how bad things got around him. He needed to for Sans sake. But did that really make sans think he was losing his mind to stay positive in hard times like this? Did he really find it crazy for him to not want to lose all hope like most of monsterkind and inevitably fall down one day? He signs sitting up hunched over the now to small bed. He knew that they weren't really alive..that what he would pretend they were wasn't real. That they weren't people. Not anymore...just empty husks that would wither and rot before the snow hid them away in a thick cover to be lost forever and forgotten. He couldn't just let that happen not after what she taught him. These when people once. Just like him and his brother, and everyone in the underground. Them being human didn't change that. He looks up again to watch the small blob try to stretch up to the ceiling again before sinking into the floor and disappearing. Shoving off his cover and standing up from the now too small bed he walks over to his closet opening it and grabbing his boots then taking the container of the special spaghetti he had made for her and tucks it underneath his armor.

 

 

He couldn't let that happen to her.

 

 

Thankfully one of the perks of being captain now was that his underlings couldn't give him lip for being out pass curfew not that he would disobey the law to began with but this was an emergency. She needed him, he couldn't just leave her all alone no matter how much she claimed it to be ok and he didn't know when he would get another opportunity to try to see her without sans trying to but in. After putting on his boots he quietly cracks open his door before slipping out to look over the balcony only to spot Sans collapsed on the floor in front of the  front door. _again_.

'why did he always have to do this every week? what was he trying to prove to himself? or was it just to defy him?...'

Guess she was going to have to be upset with him, he needed to take care of sans first and make sure he didn't try to sneak out again. he sighs and makes his way down the stairs pass the couch and over to his brother's unconscious body kneeling down to turn him over onto his back. his eye sockets where closed and smile slightly dropped, the lines under his eye sockets deeper than earlier. he slips his arms under the backs of his legs and shoulders cradling him to his breast plate and slowly carries him to his bedroom. he pushes the door open to the dark abyss carefully avoiding the trash on the floor and sits him down on his mattress letting his skull slump forward to rest on his armor as he removes his wet hoodie throwing it on the floor next to him then moving on to pull his stained white t shirt off and carefully laying him down to examine his body. Papyrus frowns down at his brothers unconscious form. His bones looked so brittle now and so many of them where missing..He checks his states and huffs irritably when his when his HoPe reads 0.5 he feels his face get hot and tears form in his sockets again when he remembers his words from hours ago

 

 

'I can't lose you..'

 

 

What about him!? he couldn't lose him either so why did he always do this. why was he so reckless!? didn't he care about his feelings anymore? he feels a painful clinch in his rib cage as

His tears fall. softly griping his left radius smoothing over it with his thumb a white chalky powder rubs off. anxiety rock through him and he just stares down at his dying brother still unable to take in the reality of this happening again. he moves onto his sternum and repeats the process on his sternum, more powder rubs off. he gets up and rushes downstairs to the kitchen to the tall cupboard under the sink pulling out the box of his SPECIAL ATTACKS and a bone file from the drawer above it stuffing it into the box along with a bowl from the sink.panicked he quickly heads up the stairs to the bathroom grabbing a small face towel and opening the medicine cabinet trying to steady his hand pulling out a small brown glass bottle full of liquid and a clear one with a pink solution inside of it. both were almost empty now. he stares at it for a moment mulling over his thoughts and heads out into the hallway, once back in Sans room he sits on his knees hunched over the bed and takes four of the large bones from his special attack filing them down into a fine powder over the bowl and mixes the pink solution into it making it turn into a pearl peach color with a clay-like texture. Taking small clumps at a time he smooths the quickly hardening substance over the worst spots of his bones then pouring the brown bottle of liquid onto a towel and polishing over it making it harden into its natural marble like state. he looks up to Sans face to see it somewhat relaxed now and checks his stats again. 0.6. Papyrus sighs and starts on the next areas sniffing.

 

'...what about me..'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love sans but I'm not going to make him seem stronger than he cannonly is like in a lot of fics i read. A lot of people seem to forget that Sans is literally the easiest person to kill because he only has 1 HP. His mini boss battle is hard as fuck because he really can NOT afford to take one hit like anyone else in the game can.
> 
> Sans was having a nightmare about this girl and her home while passed out in regards to last chapter.


	7. ...

 

 

Papyrus spares a glance to the upside down alarm clock on the desk next to Sans bed once he finished up with re-massing his bones back to a reasonable size. It was 2:39am. He checks his brothers stats again to see they are back at 1 HoPe. Sighing he stands from his spot by the mattress staring down at him with pity and reaches underneath his armor phalanges grazing the plastic container of spaghetti and pulls it out placing it on the desk for sans to eat later. He was going to need to stay home for a few days to a week or so from patrol and sentry duty to build some of his magic back up in order to be completely stable again he was also going to have to take a few days off also to make sure he wouldn't try to leave for unnecessary reasons like going to that moldy grease trap to eat instead of having a high quality meal at home..though he supposed he could get him a treat to make him feel better...If he behaved himself. On top that he was still going to have to have someone cover Sans sentry outside of the ruin doors as well. splitting up the dog marriage wasn't the best bet, Dogamy's work performance disparaged when away from his wife while hers exalted and he refused to have any mishaps while on temporary leave like last time he thinks as he briefly glowers down at Sans face for what he did to Doggo.. Maybe if he pull a few guardsmen from Hotland in order to cover them both along with Doggo...

 

His eye lights focus on the small charm lightly swinging around his wrist, thoughts shifting. And what about her? He wouldn't have the time to visit with the way things were going so far. Gathering the empty bottles and other supplies he brought in he heads out of sans room ducking his had under the frame and quietly closing the door with a soft click and heads down the hall, The stairs creaking with each heavy step he takes. crossing the living room he notices his cellphone on the couch and huffs irritably at his invasion of privacy and grabs it heading to the kitchen to set everything in the closet under the high sink. Sitting down at the table he presses the power button lighting it up to a fuzzy and glitchy screen.The battery power at 2%.

 

'Did sans try to call her??..'

 

The batter life would be sucked dry when ever he would call so he must have. A little more irked now he taps the small green phone icon his screen to check the call log and the phone shuts off. Frowning he places the phone in his shorts pocket to let his magic charge it and leans forward placing his elbows on the table and running his hands over his face. Things definitely hadn't been in his favor today. How was he going to apologize? she wasn't very forgiving he learned after what he did to her apparent close friend...Papyrus peeks from over his hands turning his skull to stare over into the living room were a shadow somewhat in the shape of a man stood silently facing the window was. Smoke like tendrils licking the surface of the ceiling the muted color that once roamed the whole oddity now seeping to the center to where the bean shaped pin prick of orange was. He starts to feel a little guilty again before shaking himself out of it. 'This wasn't like that'

 

Maybe she would be more lenient since it was just another meeting...

 

....A deeply valued meeting..

 

.....A deeply valued meeting that she told him to promise never to miss...

 

'With a large possibility of getting a food haul for him and Sans in exchange for all the special spaghetti, he was giving her that Sans had to go and get in the way of...'

 

His innocent curiosity blooming into something much more and before he realized it had become a deep infatuation before he could ever grasp onto what it actually was. Pulling him to her with so much urgency. So much need, as if under a spell. Her soft low voice still echoing in his skull recalling the memory of her blurred figure

 

descending slow and carefully down the cliff side with the broken leathery corpse of the fallen human he had left hanging in the tree near the cave with the mysterious door when he looked over the cliff side to see who it could be.. How she vanished without a trace when he leaped down to the ledge she had been on to say hello and ask what she was doing... He would have thought he had been hallucinating at first but there was no way he could imagine that voice. Singing an odd tune that sounded like a nursery rhyme seemingly about the corpse over her shoulder. Papyrus smiled warmly as he thought of how he finally had the name of his old puppet. It was befitting.

 

 

 

It took him 3 full days to find her after that first time he saw her. He had spent hours upon hours looking for her around town and in on the higher level of Snowdin forest only to turn up with nothing and headed home when the temperature dropped below -19°. Even though he had no skin he did get a bit uncomfortable if not a little stiff in the joints after a certain point below zero. He figured she must have been shy and was avoiding him. He was The Great Papyrus, Captain Of Th Royal Guard after all who wouldn't be star struck in his presence? maybe she was too timid to speak to someone so popular. he felt his hallow chest tug with a little sadness.

 

Alas fame comes with a price.. that price being everyone being too nervous to get close to you and your righteousness. He blames it partially on Sans for speaking so highly of him,along with making tasteless jokes causing people avoid them both more so. He came back to the cliff side the next day to ask Gyftrot if he had knew anything about her only to have the bull make paranoid remarks refusing to say anything out of admitted fears of him taking him to Dr.Alphys for a sanity check up. He decided to head down to the forest below since she had seemed to be headed there in the first place climbing careful not to let the strong winds knock him down only to struggle seeing anything at all in the hailing blizzard winds on the plain down below. Ignoring the voice in his head telling him that this was a bad idea. Wondering far away from the base of the cliff and into the tall pines of the lower level of the forest not paying mind to the soft buzzing of static in his skull he was all to familiar with from years ago racking his mind. he unconsciously follows the growing warm thrum in his rib cage pulling him towards...something . Deeper in he goes. he swears he passed the same row of oblong shaped mounds before.

 

no matter which way he turned he would turn they where there.

 

Each varying in size with an assortment of items from watches to small booklets and even shoes placed on top of them. First passing a row of three then four then three more. what even are these?.. the pattern repeating each direction he turned. huffing he decides to keep straight. The pattern changes to four rows of solid nines tightly knitted together in between the trees some of them appearing to be dug up or disturbed and he heads the opposite way stopping once he came upon smaller mounds of shrubbery covered in snow with small white flowers poking out from beneath. He takes a moment to scrape out the snow in his sockets and sling into the ground with a splatter.

 

 

 

"Hello."

 

A faint feminine voice greets him from beside. Jumping slightly He whips his skull around to find it's source quickly checking over his shoulder only to find no one.

 

'...who...was that?...'He had been down here for hours and had not seen or heard a living thing. His eye socket flares with magic and he manifests a sharpened bone in his fist slowly scanning the area again.waiting a long moment for any sudden movements that would give away their hiding spot, when nothing happens he takes carefully calculated steps through the small snowy mounds in his path cautiously proceeding forward listening carefully through the rustling branches and howling winds.

 

"What are you doing here?"

 

They were right next to him, griping the bone in his fist he raises to back hand them only to find no one. His eye light darts from left to right in his socket as he scans the trees around him again summoning six more bones from the ground sprouting up around him through the snow to hover just beside him waiting to strike at his command.

 

".....Are you lost?.."

 

much fainter now. He presses forward to where passing a few more trees noting the small white flowers these ones tinged with cyan at the center of them that speckled the small mounds of snow at one of them. He crouches down to examine them when he notices broken branches, bark and small foot prints that fell next to them from the foot of the wide trunk leading to a large bolder up ahead. He fallows them until they stop at the base of a fallen tree bridged over a small slope with a pound just below. its roots twisted and tangled as they try to hold on to the frozen earth it once stood proudly in, more sproutlings of the flowers decorating around it, stepping through them and jumping down onto the frozen over pound Papyrus's boots crack against the surface making the ice fracture.

 

"...Go back, you shouldn't be here, Its not safe.."

 

it was closer. carefully he searches the area when he hears scuttling and clattering of small pebbles against the frozen pound in a small dark opening just below the tree. slowly he closes in on it, placing his hand on the soft snow that covered the dead roots above it kneeling down. He hears a loud hiss and scratching sound against the ice. He's eyesocket burns brighter managing to make out a very small figure in siting in fetal position head buried into its knees refusing to look up at him. He fires the summoned bones impaling them and a shrill screech bombards his ear holes just as a large white bird flys out from the opening knocking him back onto the ice making it shatter beneath him and up into the trees above. the screech continues to faintly echo above him and He quickly submerges himself after gaining his composure and stares up at the foreign creature as it stares back down at him with piercing silver d

eyes. its sharp cream colored beak bearded with white hairs swallowing the small curved bone it had been holding whole, turning and bobbing its head to the side to get a better look at him. Papyrus stares in awe admiring the egg shell feathers as it pulls its head close to its body burring itself in the scruff of fluffed feathers on its neck. he slowly stands up, icy water dripping from his body and into his soaked boots and it hops from its perch on the branch hovering over him for a moment before flying off and out of his view. a gust of cold wind freezing the water slicked over him making his bones rattle.the screech from earlier still echoing faintly in his skull. moving to the edge of the pound opposite side of the tree and stepping out onto the small blooms that had grown into a soft cerulean.

 

"....you're going to die here.."

 

He turns his attention back to the small opening frowning. boots cracking the thin sheet of ice and splooshing through the water quickly bends to reach into the small opening when his hand brushes against something soggy and hard. pulling it out only to see that it was the body of a small human boy no older than 6 still frozen in fetal position with a swiss army knife clinched in his small blackened knuckles. His blue puffy coat and green pants leg covered in blood. Papyrus sighs stepping out of the pound as it begins to freeze over again breaking the small sheet of ice that already reformed over it and onto the fluff of snow putting the body down on its side and examining it. The coat had been torn open on the left side of his body along with the exposed area of flesh exposing his tiny ribs. two of them where missing but the organs where undamaged. letting out a delighted hum. It looked pretty fresh still so he had not been here but a day, and from the looks of the wound he either died from blood loss or exposure. humans had a tendency to do that a lot he quickly learned a few years back. setting the body down on its bottom he takes off his small blue hat tossing it behind him and grips the small tuff of dirty blond hair yanking it up with jerking motion, the joints in his small neck popping with each sharp tug until his chin is facing upwards to papyrus and let go. Eyes squeezed shut and covered in frost his face froze into an inconsolable expression his tears still frozen on his blue cheeks. Picking him up by the collar he turns back the way he came. it was close to curfew. He manages to make it back to the base of the cliff after 2 hours of stumbling when he hears a fast uneven foot fall running up behind him and he's knocked him hard to the ground before he can look to see shoving his face into the snow and doping the small body.

 

Two cold lengthy appendages gripped his humerus and flipped him over onto his back and ran what felt like leathery fingers over his bones as if searching for something before he felt a heavy weight on his breastplate. Unable to see them well with the snow that had filled his eye sockets,he manages to make out the large but slider form of its torso straddling him. His eyesocket wisps with orange flames melting away the blinding frost barely making out the monster doubled over him. Summoning three sharp orange bones at the base of his feet he aimed them diagonally ready shoot up and impale the assailant only to halt his actions the moment a he hears a familiar humming  and a small gasp. A hot pulse in his bones breached his concentration and the bones displace. it swells full force into a searing pain soon plummeting into a freezing shock that locked his joints hindering him from moving at all. his eyelight extinguished and snow flakes quickly filling his sockets again, static starts to blare and wrack his skull with pain as the crook began sniffing around the side of his neck and teeth a foul smell reached his vumor bone when it's warm breath grazing his mandible, he felt something luke warm and wet run over his teeth humming before it sharply nipped at his cheek bone. he holds back a surprised yelp not wanting to upset it in his paralyzed state. He was defenseless. He obeys the voice deep within his mind telling him to be quiet as the offender continued their strange assault on him. it repeated the process again this time nipping at his mandible and neck bones letting out a grunt mumbling something and the weight was gone. He hears snow crunching underneath its uneven step pattern growing further away from him until he heard nothing but the blowing winds. The cold that locked his joints fizzling out from his bones leaving them tingling slowly turning into warm pulse again before vanishing along with the static. He waited a few more moments before carefully sitting up on his elbows and rubbing away at his eye holes and looking around only to be greeted with snowy wind.

 

 

 

The boys body was gone.

 

 

 

He went home confused with a lot of questions surrounding the lower forest and a little irritated that someone had the nerve to steal from him when they could have just asked nicely. He would have gladly shared with them.

 

He repeated the process of the day before turning up with nothing. he set a few traps disguised as puzzles near the base of the cliff and a few in the forest and carving markings into some of the tress in the shape of his face so he wouldn't get lost like the first time.  trying again a few hours later after recalibrating his puzzles near Snowdin town and making sure sans wasn't slacking off. He managing to make it to the clearing a mile out from the forest finding the old cabin that sat in the middle of it. He stood staring up at the old structure that mimicked his own home surprised at how well taken care of it seemed to be despite how It had been here. He knocked on the door and waited...

 

No response...

 

scooping out the snow that filled his beady sockets he peers over into the left window, the house is pitch black. He walked around to the right side of the house to check the back door when he stumbles over something. Looking down to see what caught up his footing he finds an annoyingly familiar oblong mound of snow with a bandana patterned with abs on it and a cross at one of the ends. A halo of white flowers hanging from it. Letting his curiosity get the better of him he kneels down to toss off the bandana dusting away the blanket of snow to be met with a collection of rocks and tosses them about in front of him. each clattering against one another and making a thud when they hit the frozen ground. He easily digs away the dirt covering a something neatly wrapped in a once crisp white sheet. standing up he pulls it from the shallow hole it lay in, Yanking the wrapping unwinds twisting out quickly and a body flops to the ground. The mangled husk of fallen human he had lost but a few days ago there in front of him head twisted backwards looking up at him.

 

"CROOKED MAN! THERE YOU ARE!" He picks the body up with ease smiling widely and cradling it to his chest. "NYEH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING ALL THE WAY OVER HERE?" he says looking back down at the small hole in the ground and cross deep in thought for a while "D-DID THAT GHOST LADY PUT YOU HERE?..." he asks looking at the dried leathery face then back in the direction of the forest near the cliff for a pregnant moment and it clicks.

 

"...OHH..." he whispers.

 

They were graves.

 

He carefully places him back into the shallow hole and recovers him with the mixed pile of muddy snow and rocks and walks around to the back of the house finding nothing and went back to the front. Sitting down on the front steps waited. It had to be where she was coming to. He wanted to get answers first about what she was doing so far from town along with why she was burying human bodies before making a report to the empress. An hour pass, Snow covered him turning him into a Snow Papyrus like the one his puzzle had. He was ready to call it a day again when he felt his rib cage began to swell with mirth and a familiar warmth drape itself over him seeping into his bones, soon he heard the snow crunch and a bearably audible humming in the distance. He quickly scraped out the snow and ice clouding his vision and shoots up to his towering height almost hitting his head on the porch gazebo and spots her silhouette.

 

"AH, IT'S YOU!"  he says enthusiastically taking a step forward easily down the all the steps of the porch. She lets out a small gasp backing away "WAIT! DON'T GO, I JUST NEED T-TO SPEAK WITH YOU!" he quickly takes a long stride forward and tightly grasps her upper arm glad to see that his phalanges didn't sink through it and instead fastening around her coat sleeve making her yelp. worried he's hurt her he loosens his grip letting her yank free only for her to turn heel to run away from him. Papyrus shoots his hand out to twist into the fabric of her coat yanking her back throwing her to the ground and straddles her. Static fills his mind as she starts to shout something making him unable to make out what she was saying as she swings her fists at him. Easily catching them he pins her down as she struggles. The warmth in his ribcage immediately turns into a searing burning sensation and his soul tugs forth from his chest he feels his left eyesocket flare brightly. Reddish orange flames melting the remaining frost inside. His last sight being her bright eyes before everything goes white.

 

When he came to his skull was resting on something soft and feels a warm gentle touch caress his cheekbone as an angelic voice hums a soft tune. Opening his eyesockets he stares up at the cloaked figure of the eluding girl. most of her face obscured by her hood and a scarf pulled up above her nose. Eyes shut as snowflakes gently land on her long eyelashes.

 

"I...did'nt really expect...this...as your um...intentions.. " she gestures to the shimmering black heart with orange swirling tendrils seeping into the sides around it floating above him."...but.. i guess we're like besties now huh?.." She said awkwardly and eyeballs pop out

out of his skull as his mandible drops open making her flinch pulling her hand away from his face to her chest. He couldn't believe what he was seeing, there was a human in front of him. not screaming or trying to run away 'anymore' in fear? begging for him not to kill her? He was surprised she hadn't tried to leave while he was unconscious  "...admittedly i would have tried again a while ago but..I'm kinda stuck..to you.."  she waves her hand in between them again and his bulging eyes glance to her soul as orange nearly coats it entirely. Dear god what did he do! this was highly inappropriate,he forced himself on her and worst she was a human! Sans was going to kill him! he watches as his magic slowly slicks over the curves and pointed end of the souls sparkling goopy black surface and he feels himself shutter.

 

 

 

That soul..

 

 

 

Red flags started to go off as the voice in the back of his mind screamed at him to get far away from her the longer he stared at its eerily unnatural color.

 

"w-wha!..n-no offense but I felt the same way the first time I noticed you... and..that face is uh..." she brings her hand to her closed eyes and points to them with her index and middle fingers. "..kinda creepy.." shaking himself out of it his thoughts.

 

'has she been hearing my thoughts this whole time?'

 

"yes, i ha-" Papyrus swiftly sits up and turns to rest on his knees towering over her smaller frame making her jump back.

 

"YOU'RE A HUMAN." its a statement.

 

"....that's not any way how to greet your new friend..." she says with a deterred tone. his brow bones knit together as he stares her down before his eye lights shift to the black and orange inverted cartoony shaped heart in between.

 

"WAIT... YOU'RE....?..A-A HUMAN.....BUT...?"

 

he stares at her soul utterly confused at what he's looking at, this was just all so wrong..from the color all the way how it seemed to be desperately seeping in his magic mark.

 

"IM SORRY HUMAN, I DID NOT MEAN TO BE SO..ILL MANNERED ...IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE..BUT FRET NOT! ILL HAVE THIS FIXED IN A MATTER OF NO TIME. JUST...RELAX... AND-"His words die down when he reaches towards it carefully to try to reel his magic back and the orange magic swirling around the surface. It brightly glows slowly loosening up around the edges and lifting away from her soul before constricting tightly around it making her let out a strangled grunt then sinking into her chest.

 

'fuck!..'

 

she slowly opens her eyes and dread washes over him as he shakes his head in disbelief when bright violet irises meet his sockets.

 

"...FUCK..."

 

' that explains a lot'

 

she glares at him and he looks away ashamed rubbing the back of his neck.

 

After 4 hours of trying again, him apologizing and a lot of convincing not to take her into town she asked him to instead come and visit her saying it was a good way to get to know each other before deciding to end their new friendship and how it nice to have someone to talk to. He happily agreed bringing her his special spaghetti as a gift for their newfound friendship which she hesitantly took. Pulling down the scarf that covered most of her face to reveal round face cheeks, dusted with a soft pink and what he could guess was average features by human standards, after sniffing it she sucked a few of the noodles between rose petal lips and gagged, her face scrunching up immediately.

 

" ...I-I love it.."  she says shakily shoving the container back into his hands so he could have the rest. "I CAN TELL!" he said smiling with glee quietly waiting for her to finish making her sounds of delight after tasting his meal.

 

"...YOU KNOW..." he starts in an almost hushed voice looking down at his boots

 

" YOU LOOK BETTER THAT WAY..WITHOUT THE SCARF COVERING YOUR FACE." she kind of reminds him of frisk.. she turns to him brows knitted together before smiling sweetly at him and he feels his soul flutter warmly.

 

a couple of days pass and he managed to remove half of his mark after long tedious hours of magic seeping. He didn't think anything of it when she seemed to start getting weak and couldn't do much aside from sit around after he reeled in more of his magic, He wasn't shy of giving piggy back rides, he also didn't think much when his HoPe dropped a quarter of what it was, chalking it up to how much more hiking he was doing without having anything to eat for days. It did kind of shock him when her soul looked like it to try to consume what little of his magic remained on it but he was sure it was his imagination. after all their time together to his surprise they really did become like best friends.

 

when she invited him inside for the first time and offered him something to eat he eagerly obliged,she pushed open the door cabin door and he stepped in behind her ducking under the door frame and quickly made note of the delicious aroma that wafted in the air her cabin. The sweet savoy scent filling his vomur bone bringing back almost forgotten memories from years ago like the cozy feeling he had when him and Sans used to visit Ms.Toriel in the ruins before she started getting..unstable. He felt his mouth began to fizzle with magic as his tongue forms against his will making his mouth water. He also noticed how strangely dark it was inside, much like outside of the house he couldn't really see a thing the only difference being how warm and cozy it was inside compared to out there. The snow on his armor and in his beady eyesockets melting away as he stood there. She told him to have a seat as he heard her walk away form him into a separate part of the house. He awkwardly stood there for a few minutes looking around trying to find anything that resembled a seat only to find nothing. He carefully takes a step forward only to knock over what must have been a lamp when he hears glass shatter. He decided to stand until she came back.

 

When Sans asked where he had gotten stew she had made for him he just said it was a gift for all the work he had been doing. which was good enough for sans apparently as he damn near inhaled all of it without any more questions and went to bed.

 

Every visit he made to the cabin seemingly became quicker and easier each time as the storms cleared up and house became easier to find thanks to his face being printed on all of the trees in her homes direction quickly finding the mock grave yard around them and noting more of them being dug up. some of his traps had been set off but nothing caught. he would just reset them and go about his day too excited to see her to notice the uneven foot fall that would follow behind him until he was out of the forest. she told him she'd give him something for his troubles to make up for the distance he had to travel to get to her. He refused of course but it didn't stop her from trying. he hadn't felt so much joy in years. When he felt a little more confident about bringing up her meeting Sans again and invited her over since their mishap was barely even noticeable now, she immediately refused becoming upset telling him not to tell anyone about her. He agreed not wanting to upset her ruining their newly formed unforced friendship.

 

The next time he had saw her she looked very sickly.. maybe she wasn't really eating? she still took the food he would give to her but wouldn't eat it in front of him to his disappointment.

 

"Papyrus... I need....something..really special from you..if you give it to me, ill give you something really special back...in return. s-sound good?" she said as she slumped against the cabin wall slowly sliding down to sit in the snow opening her eyes to look over at him despite it bothering him.

 

"SOMETHING SPECIAL?, LIKE MY SPECIAL SPAGHETTI!"

 

"..yeah..that...sounds nice...here" she said holding up her hand weakly shaking it "you can have this forever if...promise you'll come back just one last time tonight and ill give you lots of food..."

 

"DEAL!"


	8. 'It's Not Ok'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus has a strange dream and you run for your life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally a chapter with reader in it  
> im so sorry this is so short and vague i didn't try like i should have, don't neglect the fact that i also write like a 15 year old even though im an adult. this chapter is out early because i wont be posting next week, im starting a new job and wanted to get this out there before i don't have the time for it.
> 
> Please check out Shes All I See by Doodlebags, Its really good! :)  
> The song readers singing is After All It's Come To This by Amos The Transparent. 
> 
> also my new Horror!Swap fic Beyond The Ruin Doors is out please go give it look: )

'It's spring again and the yard is full ,of tiny flowers...'

You weave the last flower into the crown.Turning it in your hand you inspect it for any flaws finding none,you smile at of your handy work. you turn to papyrus who was working on his own crown and place the crown atop his skull to steal a peek over his shoulder to see how he's doing to find a sloppily made flower crown that he continuously added flowers to, you smile warmly admiring the beauty in its imperfection. But your smile slowly falls when you noticed a man in all black with a lop sided smile and a crack running up one side of his head and a another running opposite to its counterpart on the other who stood quietly a ways from you in the dark area of the cave.

_'You used to call them weeds, and you killed them all.'_  

Looking back down at the crown you start to find it unpleasant the more he tries to add flowers to it, no longer seeing the beauty in its imperfection you frown reaching around him and snatch it out of his hands throwing it into the glowing turquoise water making it fall apart and sink to the bottom. you grab a small bundle of the flowers next to him to show him how to properly make a crown but he rocks forward off of his knees and stands up looking down at you with a forgiving smile offering you his hand.

_'..but they were growing too tall_...'

Taking it and he pulls you up to your feet. you stare at him blankly for a moment before smiling and leading him through one of the darker areas of waterfall, he grunts and starts to slow down but you pull him along until you find yourselves in the wishing room not long after. you smile and turn to look up at him but let go of his had bringing your own up to your mouth gasping when you see red dripping down from his neck vertebrae.

"Papyrus y-you're bleeding!.." You say pointing to his chest backing away. 

"WHAT?..." he looks down to stare at the blood dripping down the front of his armor mixing with something black spilling from underneath it down his bones pooling at his feet and forming a large black puddle, suddenly black tendrils slowly rise out of it and quickly wind around his legs pulling him down into it.

* * *

Papyrus wakes up in a cold sweat siting up in his bed and clutching his hand to his sternum looking around his room.

It was just a dream..

A weird dream, but.. When did he fall asleep? He thought he had left the house immediately after Sans HoPe was back at 0.8 

Sighing he collapses back into he pillow trying to recall what he did last before he fell asleep and hums 

Left out of his brothers room

Walked down the hall

Felt a small pain in his sternum...

Got light headed as his sight slowly started to cloud with small purplish dots...

_Oh. That's right._

He looks at the clock on his wall. it's 9:14am

He was supposed to be out on patrol an hour ago. He looks a the dim orange glow lighting up his rib cage grunting when it suddenly flashed brightly and getting darker. Papyrus gasps quickly kicking off his blanket and stands up unclasping the breast plate of his armor letting it fall to the floor with a loud clash when he sees a hairline fracture running over the surface of his soul.

"O-OH NO.."

* * *

 

_"He packed up her bags and he's heading out,_  
_he said I know that I'm ready with such beautiful doubt"_

You weakly trug through the snow clutching your coat tightly to your body trying stop the cold winds from taking away your body heat, burrying your nose deeper into the fur of your hood when it starts to feel like it's going to fall off and cough from the cold air bites at your raw throat. the winds began picking up you stop when a violent shiver runs through your body and where starting to regret leaving the house now.

_But its not like you had a choice._

You needed something to keep yourself from freezing to death, and you didn't have enough magic stored up to try to make a self sustaining fire anymore _thanks to Papyrus._ You hadn't expected for him to take so much magic away from you that day.

" _It seems that you want nothing, but I want it all_  
_There's got to be good reason for these dead air phone calls"_

Stomping a little irritably through the calf high snow dragging your sled along behind you.Thankfully it wasn't storming today. Even though it was you that was causing them you didn't have much of a choice in that either. You needed some kind of cover while you were out and you hadn't had enough magic stored up before that to make my attack or defense spells. You would have probably been buried alive. You would have asked him to do this for you but you hadn't seen for days after you fell asleep outside of your squat like an idiot in the middle of talking to him.

" _We're moving up slow, it don't seem so steady_ ~"

albeit,you were a little happy that he hadn't been showing up, you really didn't him removing more of his mark form your soul after the last time, It hurt. It was painful and you wanted to cry even though you didn't. You know he felt it to...pain wasn't something you could tolerate anymore after being completely cut off from your main source of magic. With blurred eyes you strain yourself to look up seemingly never ending cavern walls that stretch high to the ceiling as small specs of snow slowly drifts down. There was supposed to be a full moon tonight back up on the surface... _If only you could get just a little bit of it's light..._ You knew it was impossible to get back up there.

~~You do still have an option, my dear~~.

You really didn't want to resort to _that just_  for a little magic was probably too weak to do anything for you. Your thoughts go back to Papyrus as you continue to sing. 

" _There's no need for big plans, I'll be here when you're ready_  
_You know the world doesn't move the way you want sometimes_  
_I kept a close distance but you kept me behind_ "

He _was_ very strong...and had a lot of control over his _unlike Toriel did_. You unconsciously rub at the scar in the middle of your chest recalling when she tried to stop you from leaving the ruins all those years ago. You knew it was an accident, she really didn't mean for it to happen,she expected you to dodge it and when you didn't, the look of pure shock on her face. No, Papyrus had much more control over his magic than that...You quickly shake the alluring dark thought out of your head. You don't want to admit it but you where a little scared of what would happen once he finally did remove all of it, you knew about as much information about soul bonds as he did, which wasn't much. But you where sure you would die. You don't want that...

~~I wont allow that to happen...~~  

Even if he was your friend he was still a monster...he would probably try to kill you immediately after since he was no longer obligated to keep you safe despite seeing your soul and you wouldn't be able to do anything about it. Monsters and humans seemed to share the same view when it comes to people like you unfortunately. Just a powerful threat that needed to be killed.

" _So when are you gonna find what it is?_  
_When are you gonna feel the need to resist?_  
_When are you gonna fear the world?_  
_Are you gonna be here when I return"_

Feeling your soul tug painfully at the thought you try to convince yourself he isn't like that.. you saw he skeptical look he would get each time he would hesitantly remove some of his mark,along with worry every time it would grow the longer the two of you stayed together. You knew part of him wanted so badly to let it be but deep down he was scared of what people would think. Specifically his brother, _Sans_. He shut you out after that...

no longer wanting to think about it you sigh,thoughts switching over to Abigal. Your grateful she had showed up when she did that day and took you inside to warm up. Though when you think about it are sure she was there to sneak a taste test while you where unconscious for a long time because when you woke up she hunched over you staring at you with a yearning gaze through slowly decaying bright murky eyes, strings of drool falling from her mutilated maw effectively scaring the piss out of you. she must have had a change of heart to your luck, not eating you was probably her way of saying thank you for feeding her all of that spaghetti full of someones flesh Papyrus would bring you, you shudder and feel your stomach turn remembering the revolting taste.

As grateful as you where for him showing that he cared enough to feed you, you defiantly didn't need any help with food. Hikers carried a lot of protein and carb rich things in their backpacks along with other survival things to your luck. Still you appreciated the gesture and took it,At least it warded her off from trying to attack you a little bit. You haven't seen her since that day though and hope she was ok. You feel a little bad that you couldn't do anything for the poor girl before she fully turned into the ungodly creature that she is now like the rest of the few survives that fell down here. Sadly not all the humans that slip through the mountain crevices had the luxury of dying immediately from the fall, so determined to survive and get back to the surfise that they resorted to the lowliest of things in a desperate attempt to stall the unfortunately inevitable demise they will eventually suffer, or worst, becoming one of _those things_.

You're almost to the woods a half a mile away from your squat and you start to feel uneasy, when you look around to see nothing that could cover you.You're completely out in the open where they all can see you. 

hopefully you don't end up running into _that_ one this time. Just as the thought passes through your mind you hear a fast uneven foot fall followed by a ragged breathing in the distance and you whip your head behind you to see the thing that fueled your nightmares quickly staggering towards you a quarter of a mile away.

"Shit!" You let go of the sleds rope and start to run as fast as you could towards the woods while frantically patting down your hip for your knife only to have you heart almost give out when you realize that you left it back on the porch after you where too preoccupied with trying to find something to burn.

 

 

you're vulnerable. 

 

 

' _Stupid! how could you forget one of the most important things you need while scavenging!'_

 

Gritting your teeth you do only what you can and run.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song reader is singing in papyrus's dream is called Whilst Spring from Adventure time. I wanted to use this allegory to foreshadow Reader's' unconscious' intentions towards papyrus due to what happened to her soul turning it black. the reason why the dream is in readers point of view is because the part of her soul that hasn't conformed to that darkness consuming it is trying to warn him.


	10. A/n

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Temp. Hiatus .

Don't know why i gave up on this story and deleted it like an idiot just to re-upload it again. Sorry to everyone who like this story, i ha e a bad habit of deleting my stories when i get depressed. I'm doing to be updating from now on and get the rest of the story finished this time. 

* * *

 Hey so.... This is going to be on hiatus for a lot longer than i was intending to. i didn't give up on the story, i just haven't bothered working on future chapters enough to have more than a few weeks updates. But in the meantime please check out my spin off story of this one Night At The Woods.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for readingand please stay tuned.

**Author's Note:**

> This story is actually a spin off of another fic I wrote back in 2016 called Everythings Alright.


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